Richard H. Moiel M.D.

1935 - 2025

Richard H. Moiel, M.D.
05/25/1935 - 09/13/2025
Richard H. Moiel (Dick), devoted husband, proud father, delighted grandfather, big brother and loyal friend, passed peacefully at home at the age of 90 years. He was born in Brooklyn, NY to Charles Samuel Moiel and Evelyn Agnes (Frazier) Moiel, a family physician and nurse, who inspired his medical career. After the loss of his mother at the tender age of five years, his father married Ruth M. (Frazier) Moiel. Richard was embraced and adopted by his new mother. The family grew by two and moved from Queens to Roslyn, NY where Richard finished High School in 1953. Being a gregarious young man, he took full advantage of the youthful explorations available to boys in the 1950s. He played tackle on the football team, acted in the school plays, participated in the science fairs, ran cross country to pace and train his classmates, loved to practical joke and cultivated his mischievous smile.
He studied at William and Mary College for two years, then transferred to Tulane University/Tulane School of Medicine, his father's alma mater, where he completed his undergraduate (1957) and medical (1960) degrees. While in New Orleans, he met Irene Mabel Kouns, his first wife, and wed in 1958. They were married for 26 years. He was commissioned in the US Navy in 1957. While serving from 1960-1964, his deployments introduced him to travel. He was stationed in Rhode Island and North Carolina where the couple was blessed with two daughters, Rebecca and Sharon. Next, the young family moved to Houston, where he completed his Neurosurgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine in 1969, then joined the clinical faculty before expanding his private practice. The early years were built on long days, long drives, and family support.
He was a man of boundless energy with an insatiable curiosity, wanderlust, and a smoldering interest in history and the arts. He loved life and relished sharing stories about his novel experiences. He could laugh to the point of tears.
He married Katherine (Kathy) Poeppel in 1990, and together they crafted a joyful life. They traveled extensively, volunteering with TFHAR on archeological digs in France and Israel. He never missed a chance to prowl a museum. The connection he found in live theater fed his soul. After retirement in 1994, he revisited stamp collecting, a project his mother started for him when he was a child, and worked in earnest on his family's genealogy. But it was his interest in the arts which took on a life of its own. Looking at art led to collecting, which blossomed into relationships with Houston's vibrant, welcoming arts community. Fascination with glass led to galleries visits, conferences, demonstrations, and an obsession to make. That first glassblowing class was powerfully engaging and humbling for one accustomed to being in control and adept with his hands. The challenge was irresistible. Dick and Kathy spent 25 years taking classes at glass schools during the summers, then came home to refine their skills, host visiting artists and offer demonstrations to the public at the studio they built, Houston Studio Glass. The hotshop was his stage.
In the last five years, Richard managed his medical challenges with grace and courage. We are profoundly grateful to the empathetic and resourceful teams of doctors, nurses and caregivers who supported his goals and honored his dignity.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Katherine Poeppel; daughters Rebecca Moiel, and Sharon (Timothy) Johnson; grandchildren Haley Johnson (Dashiell Shapiro) and Ryan Johnson; siblings David (Maria) Moiel and Karen (Serhij) Hoshowsky; mother-in-law Mary Poeppel; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law, Sandra Nelson and John (Denise) Poeppel; and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.
He will be deeply missed. A private Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.